We are presently getting the smoke haze from these fires that they say were caused by lightning strikes in the south-west. Cough! cough!The smoke is going out into the Indian Ocean and back to land above the top of the photo.

Weather Bureau spokesman Neil Bennett said the average temperature so far was 35.4C compared with the monthly average of 29.6C.

The previous highest mean daily maximum from March 1 to 12 was 34.7C set in 1979. Only once this month did Perth's hottest daily temperature dip below 30C and Sunday was the hottest March day in five years at 41.1C.

"That is really a very hot start indeed but the worst of it is over," Mr Bennett said.

Last night's humidity should ease this afternoon and cooler temperatures not much higher than 31C should bring relief for the rest of the week, he said.

After four days of 38C-plus temperatures in the hottest start to autumn, the mercury peaked about midday yesterday at 40.6C at Mt Lawley. Perth Airport reached 40.4C shortly after and Pearce recorded 41.8C.

Yesterday's scorching day broke another record: the gap between the minimum and maximum - 15.8C and 40.6C - was the biggest in WA since records began in 1897.

This week Perth also had its record-breaking eighth heatwave since November.

Only once before, in 1988, has Perth recorded two heatwaves in March and the bureau says the previous record of seven heatwaves in summer/autumn was in 1977-78.

The city has had two heatwaves a month since December. A heatwave is when the temperature hits 35C or above on three consecutive days.

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